[imagesource: Robert Prange / Getty Images]

Serena Williams will retire soon with just shy of $95 million in career prize money.

Away from the court, she has made more than $350 million in endorsements since turning pro in 1995 and her career earnings are by far the most among all female athletes.

You generally need to perform on the court to bring in the endorsements, so the two go hand in hand. British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu is still the defending US Open women’s champion, even though she hasn’t had the greatest 2022 in terms of results.

Moneywise it’s all systems go and her earnings of $21,1 million over the past year have seen her debut on Forbes’ tennis earnings leaderboard.

Not at all bad for a 19-year-old, right?

Via Forbes, here’s how the figures are calculated:

On-court earnings figures reflect prize money collected over the last 12 months, dating to the 2021 U.S. Open. Off-court earnings estimates are determined through conversations with industry insiders and reflect income from endorsements, appearances, licensing and memorabilia, as well as cash returns from any businesses operated by the player.

Raducanu was ranked sixth among the highest-paid tennis players, men or women, with $3,1 million earned on the court and $18m off it.

Sky News breaks that down further:

Since her win last year, Raducanu has signed endorsement deals with big companies including British Airways, Dior, Evian, Nike and Tiffany…

Image: Evian

Before her win at the US Open, Raducanu was ranked 150th in the world.

That fairytale win, which came out of nowhere, is part of what makes her so marketable.

The one and only Roger Federer retains his place at the top of the list for an incredible 17th year in a row. The Swiss maestro hasn’t even played a competitive match in more than a year.

He earned $90 million during the period in question, putting him well ahead of Japan’s Naomi Osaka ($56,2 million), Serena Williams ($35,1 million), Rafa Nadal  ($31,4 million), and Novak Djokovic ($27,1 million).

Others on the list include Russia’s Daniil Medvedev with $19.3m, Japan’s Kei Nishikori on $13.2m, Venus Williams with $12m and Carlos Alcaraz, who earned $10.9m.

It’s great to see an infusion of new blood on this list given that we will soon see Serena retire, along with Roger Federer and, eventually, Rafa Nadal.

You can see the full Forbes list here.

[sources:forbes&sky]